The current starting XI

by   |   05/07/2025  20 Comments  [Jump to last]

I was sat watching PSG v Bayern Munich and marvelling at the standard of player and wishing we could entice players of that caliber to join us.

I was then thinking of who would be our starting 11 and who and how we would replace or reinforce that. Here is my presumed starting first choice 11 as it stands (with a couple of assumptions): -

                                      Pickford
O'Brien            Tarkowski          Branthwaite     Mykolenko
                       Garner                           Gana Gueye
McNeil                         Iroegbunam                         Ndiaye
                                        Barry

Subs:  Tyrer, Coleman, Keane, Armstrong (unless loaned out), Beto.

This brings home the urgency of more quality and a beefier squad with the emphasis hopefully on goalscoring ability.

My questions are: Who would you replace in that line-up and how would you set them up? Would you bring any of the loan players back? And how many new players do you think we need?            

 

 

 


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Alan J Thompson
1 Posted 06/07/2025 at 15:41:02
Alcaraz and Chermiti given the week off?

I'd have thought Patterson and/or Dixon would have made the bench just in case Tarkowski might be out injured for the first few weeks which might also mean Welch and maybe Graham, is it, the young Irish striker? Not perfect but does give us the permitted number of players if we sign nobody as unlikely as that is.

Andrew Ellams
2 Posted 06/07/2025 at 16:10:59
Iroebugnam ahead of Alcaraz?
Mike Gaynes
3 Posted 06/07/2025 at 16:18:24
Right, so Beto doesn't start -- and Alcaraz doesn't even make the bench.

How late at night was this lineup created, and how much Scotch was involved?

Sam Hoare
4 Posted 06/07/2025 at 17:02:10
I’d be very surprised to see Barry start the season. He’s young and raw, should think Beto will be leading the line unless Barry is on fire in pre-season. Iroegbunam should probably go on loan, not convinced he’s a PL player yet, hes got time to improve but needs games.

I hope we’ve got some more pace on the RW too. McNeill is fine but the team improves a lot by having dynamism on both flanks. Equally I think Garner is fine but probably not a top ten player. Upgrades at RW, CM and RB for me.

Andrew Bentley
5 Posted 06/07/2025 at 17:14:23
Just highlights the paucity we have in the squad at the moment as we’ve not even signed Barry that you’ve started with.

RB, LB (Mykolenko is solid but not spectacular and we need better) we need better players
CM we could do with 1 quality addition if not 2 to replace Doucoure and also Garner in the first team
RW we need quality
Then a striker, presuming Barry.

That’s at least 5-6 players we need in before the season starts to give us the best chance of starting strong. Was hoping we’d have got a couple of deals lined up early tbh

Jay Harris
6 Posted 06/07/2025 at 17:20:40
Plenty of scotch Mike,
Guilty as charged.

In the original post I did have Beto with Barry in brackets as he is not confirmed yet. I can only assume Michael doesn’t like Beto so he dropped them to the bench.
I actually think Moyes will have Charley on the bench but I must admit to leaving him off the subs list because by that time I had realized that we’re not gonna get as many changes as we hoped for.

Steve Shave
7 Posted 06/07/2025 at 17:33:42
Alcaraz all day long
Mike Gaynes
8 Posted 06/07/2025 at 18:08:01
Jay, Alcaraz will start. Take it to the bank (unless we sign somebody better). Davey wants dynamism in that position, and Alcaraz brings it.
Danny O'Neill
9 Posted 06/07/2025 at 18:51:08
I rarely do this type of thing, but as a lot of the transfer speculation posts are drying up, I thought why not.

Alcaraz for Iroegbunam. Beto for Barry (if he signs).

If it wasn't for not having the proper wingbacks, we could experiment with 3-5-2, but with the ones who could play there, it would be more like a 5-3-2.

What it does show, is that it is pretty much last seasons team. We some of transfer speculation to become firm news and Gana's contract confirmed.

Grant Rorrison
10 Posted 06/07/2025 at 19:04:25
Moyes wont start anyone in the first game that wasn't already here last season or at the very least someone he's worked with previously at another club.

Barry, if he signs, will be on the bench and brought in gradually. Possibly on the right wing if we don't get a move on with bringing in players in that position.


Ajay Gopal
11 Posted 06/07/2025 at 19:14:51
As things stand, my starting XI: (4-2-3-1)

Pickford
Patterson O’Brien Branthwaite Mykolenko
Garner Gueye
Alcaraz Ndiaye McNeil
Beto

Subs: Tyrer, Coleman, Keane, Iroegbunam, Armstrong, Chermiti (Tarks out injured)

What I hope to see by the time the window closes:

Pickford
New_RB O’Brien Branthwaite Mykolenko
Gueye Garner
Alcaraz Ndiaye McNeil
Beto

Other squad members: New_GK, Tyrer, Patterson, Keane, Tarkowski, New_LB, New_MF, Iroegbunam, Armstrong, New_RW, New_CF (Barry?), Chermiti

John Chambers
12 Posted 06/07/2025 at 19:45:50
Definitely wouldn’t have McNeil on the right, thought he was poor there in the couple of games he played there last season. Ndiaye looked good on the right against England so I’d play him on the right.
Also those saying Tarks won’t be fit, he was running at the first day of pre-season so I would expect him to be fit for the start of the season
Danny O'Neill
13 Posted 06/07/2025 at 19:49:19
In fairness John @12, he was a bit rusty having just come back from a lengthy injury and surgery as late as January.
Jay Harris
14 Posted 06/07/2025 at 19:50:34
Mike
I love Alcaraz. He has good technique and can score goals.

However I don't think Moyes rates him as highly as we do as his defending is a bit loose.

I think he may alternate Ndiaye and Alcaraz in that forward support position especially if we get some goalscoring forwards in.

Raymond Fox
15 Posted 06/07/2025 at 20:23:18
Patterson is a mystery, no manager seems to thinks he's up to starting.
What little we have seen of him has been so so, but is he so bad?
He's suffered his share of injuries, maybe he's lost all confidence, who knows.

Ajay @ 11 teams look the obvious picks for me.

Jay Harris
16 Posted 07/07/2025 at 05:03:53
Mike,

I love Alcaraz. He has good technique and can score goals. However, I don't think Moyes rates him as highly as we do as his defending is a bit loose.

I think he may alternate Ndiaye and Alcaraz in that forward support position especially if we get some goalscoring forwards in.

Jerome Shields
17 Posted 07/07/2025 at 05:14:15
Jay, I think the jist of your opinion is quite solid. There is going to be little change.

Alcaraz will come on as a sub as last season and I do hope we get Barry, though I think Beto will be first choice. Moyes has said that a player coming into the Premier League will have to work himself into the squad.

Answering your question regarding loans, I can see Harrison coming back.

.

Michael Kenrick
18 Posted 07/07/2025 at 15:06:40
Jay,

Call me old school, but I think if you are going to make a selection for the starting XI, then perhaps you should name 11 players, not 12.

Sorry I picked the wrong one, but you had Beto on the field and on the bench, so I felt compelled to choose one and not the other for you.

But then I saw you only named 5 on the bench, which is a bit half-arsed if you don't mind me saying.

I think if you're going to do the line-up thing, you need to be solid and unwavering in your commitment, decide which players you have at your disposal, choose 11 for the pitch and 9 for the bench. Anything less is, er, dropping the ball.

But I suppose we are down at least 3 goalkeepers, so admittedly you couldn't very easily do the modern-day trick of padding out the subs bench when short on real numbers...

John Chambers
19 Posted 07/07/2025 at 16:11:38
Mike, we need plenty of padding at the moment!

Just checked the club site and we have 18 first team players, including only 2 keepers, Gana Gueye who has not (officially) signed and Harrison Armstrong who would not count in the 25-man Premier League squad due to his age.

Jon Sellick
20 Posted 10/07/2025 at 23:47:03
Nice one, Jay. Good to have this sort of chat on here at this time of year.
My thought is that instead of buying an understudy to Mykolenlo, we should be buying somebody better, so that Mykolenko becomes the understudy. Then we should be applying the same logic to every position in the squad that needs filling.
We'd be sucking on diesel if we could get to the point where Gueye and Garner are the understudies in centre-mid.

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